The purpose of this study was to learn how public school districts in southern California could better recruit, retain, and mentor new principals in Title 1 schools. Currently, school districts throughout southern California are finding it difficult to recruit and retain principals to work in Title 1 elementary schools. The purpose of this study encompassed two components: (1) to understand the role school district officials play in successfully recruiting candidates for the position of elementary school principal at a Title I school, (2) to identify the research-based characteristics of successful Title I elementary principals in southern California and what processes school districts use to retain and mentor these individuals. The research questions used to guide this study were: (1) What are the processes that districts in southern California utilize in order to recruit potential elementary school principals? (2) What are the processes or practices that school districts utilize in order to retain elementary school principals past three years? (3) How do school districts perceive their role in mentoring new elementary principals? (4) How do school districts evaluate themselves to ensure that they are recruiting and retaining quality principals? This study used the mixed methods approach in which 24 school district officials responded to an online survey and 10 school district officials who completed the survey were interviewed in person. Through the process of triangulation, the study's findings indicate that while almost every public school district has the same recruiting practices, school districts vary from each other in terms of formal and informal recruiting practices. Results from this study show that school districts prefer to hire principals that they are familiar with and have had some degree of administrative experience. Overall the results from this study show the majority of school districts do not have a strategic plan in order to recruit, retain, and mentor new principals at Title 1 elementary schools in southern California. The study concluded by sharing practical implications for school district officials and the need for additional research to be done on the topic of supporting principals of Title 1 elementary schools. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]